Medical school professor elected to National Academy of Sciences

Emma Planas

Dr. Peter Tontonoz

Elaine Schmidt | May 12, 2020

Dr. Peter Tontonoz, the Frances and Albert Pianksy Chair in Anatomy at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, has been elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of his distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

Tontonoz, who is also a professor in the departments of pathology/laboratory medicine and biological chemistry, and his colleagues in his laboratory study how fats control gene expression and the role of nuclear receptors in fat metabolism. His discoveries have advanced scientific understanding of inflammation, immunity and diseases like atherosclerosis and diabetes.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit institution that provides scientific advice to the federal government and other organizations.